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In its Annual Report for 2017, the U.S. Department of Energy's Geothermal Technologies Office presents details on its activities, research, contribution and support to help advance geothermal development.

The Geothermal Technologies Office in the U.S. Department of Energy in Washington, DC has published its annual report.

Geothermal energy is clean, secure, reliable, flexible, and constant . It continues to be one of America’s best choices for low-cost renewable energy in power generation and in direct-use applications for heating and cooling of American homes and businesses .

The Geothermal Technologies Office (GTO) at the U .S . Department of Energy (DOE) focuses on harnessing this natural resource to generate electricity and direct-use heating and cooling . GTO accelerates hydrothermal and low-temperature adoption and boldly pursues EGS as a transformative player by creating a commercial pathway to large-scale, reproducible systems .

By developing and demonstrating innovative technologies, GTO’s efforts help stimulate the growth of the geothermal industry within the renewable energy sector and encourage quick adoption of technologies by the public and private sectors . GTO is committed to conducting early-stage research and development of innovative technologies and methodologies for domestic power generation, as well as continuing to support the expansion of the geothermal industry across the United States.

GTO funds activities that support DOE’s continued efforts towards:

Innovative technologies

Domestic energy security

Increasing U.S. economy and jobs

Expanding geothermal development

GTO* works on reducing costs and risks associated with geothermal development by supporting innovative technologies that address key exploration and operational challenges in the following areas:

Hydrothermal resources

Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS)

Low Temperature & Coproduced Resources

System Analysis

In its annual report for activities in 2017, GTO highlights its activities and support provided, among others in its GeoVision – a roadmap project summarizing technical advances and other actionable items to achieve the outcomes of the GeoVision and ensure maximum benefit of the U.S.

It also provides details on innovative technologies worked on in the U.S., domestic energy security, and expanding geothermal energy.

In November 2017, GTO hosted its 2017 Peer Review with more than 60 public presentations discussing projects in the GTO’s research, development and demonstration portfolio. These projects were systematically reviewed by more than 29 external subject-matter experts from industry, academia, national laboratories, and federal agencies. Feedback collected from these meetings and presentations will be shared in the spring of 2018 with the release of the GTO 2017 Peer Review Report.